S/T
Slug Tone! Records ST-04/Shadowbox Entertainment SB-001 CD, released 1993 (U.S.)
Some copies distributed by Moon Records as MR039
Jump Up! JUMP155LP, released 2018 (U.S.)
Ah, the legendary first Pietasters album...it was self-titled. Many, many people have referred to this
one as "Piestomp" over the years, but that is not its name. That almost became a disclaimer when discussing it with the band.
I can't imagine where people would have gotten the idea that it was named Piestomp...perhaps the t-shirts, stickers, and buttons had
something to do with it...
For many, many years, the album had only released on CD, but it was a tremendously collectable CD. It went out of print long ago, having been
released on the band's own Slug Tone label in 1993, and was extremely difficult to find throughout the vast majority of ska's third wave.
Really, by 1994, this was nowhere to be found. There were actually multiple versions of the CD (or at least the tray insert). The main difference
was that one had a "Distributed by Moon (MR039)" note on it and the other did not:
In the late '90s, though, the band announced that they had found some more copies of the disc, and it became available anew for a few months (this was in 1999, if
memory serves). I compared one of these to a copy from the original run, and all of the codes on the two discs were identical, so it didn't seem liek a re-press.
Anyway, this was a great debut. It is not as difficult to procure as it once was (though still not easy), and the tracks were all included on the
1992-1996 3 CD set. However, the versions of the songs on that
collection were the demo and single versions, which differ from the versions on the original album.
Ah yes, we can't forget about the vinyl. In 2018, Jump Up! teamed up with The Pietasters to finally give this one a proper vinyl release. It was available on both black and blue vinyl. For the moment, both are inexpensive, but that could change.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST-04/SB-001 CD (with Moon reference) | 15-18 | 5 | Down |
| ST-04/SB-001 CD (no Moon reference) | 15-18 | 5 | Down |
| JUMP155LP Blue | 20-25 | 4 | Stable |
| JUMP155LP Black | 15-20 | 3 | Stable |
 |
 |
This page was last updated on January 19, 2020.
Oolooloo
Moon Ska MR059 CD, released 1995 (U.S.)
Moon Ska Europe MOON CD 010 CD (UK)
Asbestos/Underground Communique ASB/UCR072 LP, released 2012/2013/2018 (U.S.)
Shattered World SW001 LP, released 2012 (U.S.)
Classic Pietasters. Solid album throughout. This was the Pietasters' first release on Moon Ska. Only available in CD form prior to 2012. At that point, it was released on vinyl for the first time as a joint effort between Asbestos Records, Underground Communique, and others (including my sort-of-active label, Shattered World Music). There were 197 pressed on blue vinyl and 292 on black vinyl. Of the 292 black copies, 50 made up the Shattered World Edition of the record. These were all stamped and hand-numbered:
The vinyl release went well, so there were additional pressings. The second pressing was of 500 copies on red vinyl. All of the smaller participant labels remained on the sleeves for that one. In 2018, there was a third pressing on white vinyl, released exclusively at Commonwealth Dry Goods in Fairfax, VA. Eventually, the band expanded this and started selling the white one through its own website. The white vinyl version retained Asbestos and Underground Communique logos and dropped the rest of the labels that particpated in the first pressing release.
If you buy the original CD, be forewarned - there is no division between the third and fourth tracks ("Tell You Why" and " Maggie Mae"), so the track numbering is off. I heard this actually pissed off the band quite a bit. The whole album was later included on the 1992-1996 anthology.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Ska MR059 CD | 2-4 | 3 | Down |
| Asbestos/Underground Communique ASB/UCR072 Blue | 20-25 | 8 | Stable |
| Asbestos/Underground Communique ASB/UCR072 Black | 15-20 | 7 | Stable |
| Shattered World SW001 Black | 20-25 | 9 | Stable |
| Asbestos/Underground Communique ASB/UCR072 Red | 20-25 | 5 | Stable |
| Asbestos/Underground Communique ASB/UCR072 White | 20-25 | 4 | Stable |
 Test Pressing |
 Blue |
 Black |
 Shattered World Edition |
 Red |
 White |
| Test Pressing | 1st Press: Black vinyl, white labels |
|---|
This page was last updated on January 20, 2020.
Strapped Live!
Moon Ska MR081 CD, released 1996 (U.S.)
Jump Up! JUMPTAPE019 cassette, released 2019 (U.S.)
You'll be shocked to learn that Strapped Live! was a live album. It was compiled over two nights at the Black Cat in DC, and there could be no more perfect venue for this. It is a great live show (or two live shows) - a good representation of the band's live presence of the era. Steve's banter is included at no extra cost. This CD-only release was also later included in full on the 1992-1996 triple CD. Jump Up! also released a cassette version of it in 2019.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Ska MR081 CD | 3-5 | 3 | Down |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
Comply CD
Slug Tone! ST-009, released 1996
This disc came out on the Tasters' Slug Tone! Records, distributed by Moon. It came out after Oolooloo and Strapped Live!, and the material within was a good representation of the period between Oolooloo and their jump to Hellcat. It was the first time that The Pietasters really moved toward the soul sound and away from ska. This was a great first step in that direction. I thought they kept building on the soul sound until they nailed it on Turbo.
Also, there were multiple versions. The original CD was limited to 2,000 copies, hand-numbered, and signed by the whole band. It was also sold with a t-shirt. The Comply title only appeared on the spine of the CD case. The artwork was printed on plain paper and folded up to create the insert. This version listed both Moon Ska and Slug Tone! on the back of the case.
A couple of years later, The Pietasters found more copies, and started offering them for sale. These new ones did have the Comply title on the covers and were not signed or numbered. This version also made no mention of Moon Ska in the credits - they were exclusively Slug Tone! The insert for this one was much more professionally done that the initial version. I always thought that the band must have had more CDs produced. However, I compared the discs for the two different versions, and all of the production markings were identical. The band may have just redone the artwork for the re-release. Both versions are now quite scarce. The material from this one was released on the 1992-1996 Pietasters anthology.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slug Tone ST-009 CD (1st - numbered, autographed) | 15-20 | 3 | Down |
| Slug Tone ST-009 CD (2nd) | 15-20 | 2 | Down |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
Willis
Hellcat 80405-1 LP/80405-2 CD, released 1997 (U.S.)
Hellcat 0405-2 CD, released 1997 (Europe)
Hellcat 80405-1 LP, released 2019 (U.S.)
In 1997, The Pietasters answered the call of the Hellcat, and jumped ship from Moon Ska. Willis was their first effort for the new label. It was also, believe it or not, their first album that appeared on vinyl. Willis was the most commercially successful album for The Pietasters. One ould hear "Out All Night" on the radio in 1997-98. It was a strange time. The original black vinyl is still easy to find and mostly inexpensive. Despite that, it was re-pressed in 2019 on orange vinyl in conjuntion with Record Store Day. The re-press was limited to 1,300.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellcat 80405-1 LP Black | 15-18 | 3 | Stable |
| Hellcat 80405-1 LP Orange | 15-18 | 3 | Stable |
 Test Pressing |
 Black Original |
 Orange Re-press |
| Test Pressing | Black vinyl, generic Rainbo labels |
|---|
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
Awesome Mix Tape #6
Hellcat 80418-1 LP/80418-2 CD, released 1999 (U.S.)
Hellcat 0418-2 CD (Europe)
The Pietasters did put out a second Hellcat album. This one was also exclusively on black vinyl. Musically, the band continued along the trajectory established with Willis. Solid. The vinyl is a little rarer than Willis, but still pretty easy to find.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellcat 80418-1 LP Black | 12-15 | 3 | Stable |
 |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
Turbo
Fueled By Ramen Records FBR054 CD, released 2002 (U.S.)
Make My Day Records MMD001 CD/MMD003 LP (Germany)
Here we go. They nailed it on this one. That soul sound that the Pietasters had been kicking around for the previous few years...it all came together on Turbo. There are some songs on this album that make me very happy. The band moved away from Hellcat at this point. The CD came out domestically on Fueled By Ramen. There was actually a vinyl version of this album, but it was only released in Germany. The vinyl was not too difficult to come by for a while, but became a much tougher find. I was able to track down a copy, but it took some work. It has gotten much more expensive in recent years.
Turbo also represented a major lineup change for the band; a good chunk of the members were new. The band's original bass player, Todd Eckhardt, passed away at a tragically young age a year or so before this album came out. I have no knowledge of whether this prompted other members to leave the band, but I would have to guess that it was a contributing factor.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make My Day MMD003 LP Black | 35-45 | 5 | Up |
 |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
1992-1996
Slug Tone/VMS/Morphius DFM-V-051 3xCD, released 2003
This three-disc set was a welcome addition to the Pietasters' commercially available material. Ya think I referenced this set enough in the previous entries? It is what it purports to be: a comprehensive Pietasters anthology, covering their first few years of existence. It contains four complete Pietasters albums: The Pietasters, Oolooloo, Strapped Live!, and Comply. The versions of the tracks from their self-titled debut, however, were the demo versions, not the ones that appeared on the actual album. There were also quite a few previously unreleased extras scattered throughout. Well worth your time and money. No vinyl for this one.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slug Tone/VMS/Morphius DFM-V-051 3xCD | 12-15 | 5 | Stable |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.
All Day
Indication IR001 CD, released 2007 (U.S.)
Ska in the World SIWI-079 CD (Japan)
Rockers Revolt RRHITCD3 CD, released 2008 (UK)
Another album, another label. This was the debut of the Pietasters' own Indication Records. It's a solid set of songs, though the production is better on other albums. CD only, but the Japanese and UK versions came with three additional tracks: "All Day (Part 2)", "The Concept" (a Teenage Fanclub cover), and "Jasper's Fade".
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indication IR001 CD | 3-5 | 2 | Down |
| Ska in the World SIWI-079 CD (Japan) | 20-30 | 6 | Stable |
| Rockers Revolt RRHITCD3 CD (UK) | 3-5 | 4 | Down |
This page was last updated on January 21, 2020.